Credit Card Newshttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 05:06:26 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2American Express Business Platinum Card Updates Rewards Programhttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-rewards/american-express-business-platinum-card-updates-rewards-program-557.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-rewards/american-express-business-platinum-card-updates-rewards-program-557.html#commentsThu, 13 Dec 2018 05:06:26 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=557Holders of the American Express Business Platinum card can expect a new and improved rewards structure coming in 2019. A suite of new features is intended to improve productivity and make it easier for busy travelers to get work done wherever they are.

Courtney Kelso, Head of U.S. Commercial Card Products at American Express, says the Business Platinum Card “is designed to give business owners an edge” in a world that is rapidly changing. “We’re introducing solutions that support our customers’ agility and productivity, anywhere they need them,” says Kelso.

WeWork and Dell partnerships add to credit card rewards value

To that end, American Express is providing Business Platinum Card holders with a free one-year membership to WeWork locations worldwide. WeWork provides comfortable, convenient workspaces with amenities like high speed Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, free coffee and beer on tap, printers, and video conferencing.

They are also offering cardmembers with a benefit of up to $200 in statement credits each year for any purchases made directly from Dell, which provides tech solutions for small businesses in the form of laptops, tablets, printers, and other electronics.

“We’re thrilled to bring WeWork and Dell on as partners to give our customers the business tools, global office space and technology they need to take their business even further,” Kelso said.

Existing rewards are top-notch

Amex Business Platinum cardholders already get five Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid travel through amextravel.com, as well as 1.5 points on eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to one million extra points per year. They also receive a $200 airline fee credit, which they can use toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, making travel more convenient and hassle-free.

Centurion Lounges in Philadelphia and Hong Kong opened recently, joining the network of 1,200 airport lounges around the world that offer quiet workspaces, premium bathroom and shower facilities, free food and beverages, and other luxuries for globetrotters.

New rewards on the way

In 2019, American Express Business Platinum Card is adding new rewards, including a $100 hotel credit on eligible charges at select hotel properties. (This reward used to be worth only $75.) They will also be able to visit new Centurion Lounges coming to New York’s JFK airport, Los Angeles, and Denver International Airport. Full details can be found on the American Express website.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-rewards/american-express-business-platinum-card-updates-rewards-program-557.html/feed0Holiday Shoppers Have Opportunities To Earn Extra Rewards This Seasonhttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/low-apr-credit-cards/holiday-shoppers-have-opportunities-to-earn-extra-rewards-this-season-552.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/low-apr-credit-cards/holiday-shoppers-have-opportunities-to-earn-extra-rewards-this-season-552.html#commentsFri, 23 Nov 2018 05:04:36 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=552As the season of giving approaches, many people may find themselves wondering how they can make the most of their money this year—and not find themselves paying off debt at high interest rates when January rolls around.

Fortunately, credit card companies and merchants alike are eager to offer opportunities for folks to spend and save, and be rewarded for doing so. Department stores like Kohl’s, for example, are increasing the amount of rewards they give cardholders and loyalty program members. During the holiday season, Kohl’s will give $15 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent. This is part of the company’s popular Give Joy, Get Joy promotion that has had success in past holiday seasons.

Kohl’s Cash can be redeemed both in-store and online at kohls.com, during certain times specified by the promotion’s rules. Another great way for people to save and earn rewards when holiday shopping is to use a low-APR credit card with a rewards program. This way, if cardholders cannot pay off their entire balance by the due date, they will not have to pay an exorbitant amount of interest on the balance.

Cash back cards offer Low APRs and rotating rewards

A cash back credit card that gives five percent off in certain spending categories is another good option for holiday shoppers. These types of cards almost always give bonus cash back at places where people frequently do their holiday shopping: department stores and online retailers.

A valuable rewards card that offers cash back for shopping at places you already shop, combined with a low interest rate, is the best bet for most holiday shoppers who wish to stay within a budget and still get the most rewards for every dollar they spend. There are many options for such cards, and most do not charge an annual fee or require spotless credit to be approved.

When thinking about holiday spending, keeping to a budget, watching out for interest rates, and taking advantage of rewards programs are the top things to consider. With so many credit card issuers offering special holiday deals and savings, as well as money management tools to help you make smart financial decisions, everyone can have a rewarding holiday season.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/low-apr-credit-cards/holiday-shoppers-have-opportunities-to-earn-extra-rewards-this-season-552.html/feed0New Prepaid Card Aims To Give Consumers A Quicker Tax Refundhttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/prepaid-and-debit-cards/new-prepaid-card-aims-to-give-consumers-a-quicker-tax-refund-549.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/prepaid-and-debit-cards/new-prepaid-card-aims-to-give-consumers-a-quicker-tax-refund-549.html#commentsSat, 03 Nov 2018 07:01:09 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=549If you look forward to tax season every year because you expect to be getting a nice big refund from Uncle Sam—or even a small one—then you might want to sign up for the new TaxSlayer Prepaid Visa card, which will be available next tax season.

In partnership with Green Dot, online tax and finance technology company TaxSlayer is issuing the prepaid card in order to make it faster and easier for folks to get their tax refunds back. They can have their refunds issued directly to the prepaid card, and then continue to use the card as a debit card all year long.

The TaxSlayer Prepaid Visa card is a reloadable prepaid debit card account, offering the convenience and full service of a bank account, without the fees or penalties for overdrafts. Anyone who does not have an option for direct deposit of their tax refund can benefit from using the TaxSlayer Prepaid card, with they can sign up for during the tax filing process in 2019. Last year, TaxSlayer filed 10 million state and federal tax returns and issued 12 billion dollars in taxpayer refunds.

Prepaid accounts come with many perks

More and more folks are opting to use a prepaid account rather than a traditional checking account, which is often laden with fees. There are often monthly usage fees simply for having the account, something that certain prepaid and debit cards waive. Since money is loaded onto the card and then used up, there’s no danger of overdrawing the account and incurring a fee that way, either.

A prepaid debit account works much like a credit card, but does not allow cardholders to go into debt. Therefore, anyone who is wary of the danger of overspending on a credit card can benefit from using a prepaid card instead.

Some prepaid cards even offer perks, such as exclusive savings opportunities and reward points. Plus, getting a tax return on a prepaid debit card, rather than waiting for a paper check in the mail, speeds up the return process and guarantees you’ll be celebrating that refund faster than you would if you did not choose the direct deposit option.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/prepaid-and-debit-cards/new-prepaid-card-aims-to-give-consumers-a-quicker-tax-refund-549.html/feed0Study Shows That Financial Education Leads To Better Financial Well-Beinghttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/balance-transfer-cards/study-shows-that-financial-education-leads-to-better-financial-well-being-545.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/balance-transfer-cards/study-shows-that-financial-education-leads-to-better-financial-well-being-545.html#commentsWed, 10 Oct 2018 06:03:14 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=545Feeling good about your finances is a result of having good financial skills, a recent study from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found. And solid financial know-how comes from getting a financial education. Unfortunately, many Americans haven’t gotten a good financial education. The good news is, it’s never too late to learn.

The CFPB’s report looked at the ways that being savvy about how money and credit work influences consumers, and how folks can apply those financial skills to real-life situations in order to improve their financial well-being. They identified three key factors in making healthy financial decisions—and feeling good about money matters down the road.

Knowing what you don’t know

The first and most important factor is knowing when to seek out more information. Being aware of what they don’t know, and taking action to fill those gaps in knowledge, is a trait that financially successful people tend to share, according to the CFPB’s findings. Incomplete, one-sided, or unbalanced information can be problematic, as can following advice from an unreliable source.

Knowing where to go

The second thing that people with good financial well-being do is go to trustworthy sources to find information. When seeking out advice or information, they know where to go—and where not to. The CFPB and other government agencies are often the most unbiased sources, and other good bets include schools, libraries, and banks. If someone is trying to sell you a particular product or service, they might not be the most reliable place to get information.

Knowing what to do

Once they have good information from a credible source, the next step is knowing how to act on a financial decision. For example, if someone with a lot of consumer credit card debt at a high interest rate wants to transfer their balance to a low-interest card, or do a balance transfer to a zero APR card, they need to know the steps involved in doing so. Transferring a balance is not complicated, and there are many good balance transfer credit cards available, but there are certain things to be aware of when making a transfer.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/balance-transfer-cards/study-shows-that-financial-education-leads-to-better-financial-well-being-545.html/feed0New Discover Business Card Gives Unlimited Cash Back On All Purchaseshttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/fair-credit-cards/new-discover-business-card-gives-unlimited-cash-back-on-all-purchases-539.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/fair-credit-cards/new-discover-business-card-gives-unlimited-cash-back-on-all-purchases-539.html#commentsWed, 19 Sep 2018 05:31:13 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=539Small businesses and entrepreneurs have a new option when looking for a line of credit. The Discover it Business credit card offers unlimited cash back, great customer service, advanced security measures, and no annual fee — all available to folks with fair credit to excellent credit.

Andrew Hopkins, senior vice president of marketing at Discover, says the card is “smart, simple, and rewarding” and gives business owners the same features and benefits that Discover cardmembers appreciate. “We’re looking forward to providing Discover’s unparalleled customer experience—from rewards, to security and customer service—to business owners so they can focus on the things that matter most, like serving their customers and growing their businesses.”

Discover it Business helps companies track expenses and earn rewards

Market research by Discover has found that one in four small business owners worry about keeping track of expenses. The Discover it Business credit card, which is available to entrepreneurs with fair credit, alleviates that worry by allowing cardholders to download transactions directly into bookkeeping software such as QuickBooks, Quicken, or Excel. They can also get extra cards for their employees at no extra charge, and put spending limits on the cards so workers don’t spend more than what is budgeted.

All purchases earn rewards, with unlimited 1.5 percent cash back on all purchases, in any spending category. The Discover it Business card also offers Cashback Match, which gives cardholders an unlimited dollar-for-dollar match on all the cashback rewards they earn during their first year of membership.

Benefits include security alerts, no foreign transaction fees, and more

Some of the many benefits of the Discover it Business credit card include: free access to FICO scores through Credit Scorecard, a zero fraud liability guarantee, free alerts in case Discover finds members’ Social Security numbers on one of thousands of risky websites, no fees for foreign transactions, and live, U.S.-based customer service available any time of the day or night, 24/7.

Many business credit cards offer similar benefits, which is one reason it’s smart to get a separate business credit card if you’re a small business owner or an entrepreneur. You don’t have to have perfect credit to be approved for one of these cards; you simply need average, fair, or good credit for many of them.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/fair-credit-cards/new-discover-business-card-gives-unlimited-cash-back-on-all-purchases-539.html/feed0American Express Partners With Pharrell Williams To Bring Arts Education To Students Nationwidehttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-banks/american-express-partners-with-pharrell-williams-to-bring-arts-education-to-students-nationwide-537.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-banks/american-express-partners-with-pharrell-williams-to-bring-arts-education-to-students-nationwide-537.html#commentsThu, 30 Aug 2018 06:29:42 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=537Musician Pharrell Williams is teaming up with American Express to bolster arts education in schools across the United States.

American Express Platinum and Williams will co-host a fundraising event in Brooklyn in September, along with an all-star lineup of collaborators. Profits will go toward Young Audiences Arts for Learning, and Amex will also donate $1 million to the organization, which is the country’s largest arts-in-education network.

Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express, said Williams “is the perfect person to bring to life our new global platform, which reflects the blended lives that our customers lead today.” She said the company is looking forward to featuring Williams in their new marketing campaign and to partnering with him to support the arts.

Williams has been the creative director of the American Express Platinum card since 2016 and designed a limited edition yellow Platinum card as a thank you to cardmembers who support arts education by purchasing a ticket to the Brooklyn fundraising event this fall.

Support for the arts helps kids perform better in school

The National Endowment for the Arts has commissioned research showing that when students are involved in the arts, they do better academically, score better on standardized tests, and have lower rates of dropping out. Still, many schools face critical shortfalls when it comes to funding for the arts.

“Music and the arts have been part of my life since birth,” said Williams. He credits his teachers with exposing him to different kinds of music, which “expanded my mind and my imagination. I would not be where I am today without music and arts education in my school as a youth.”

American Express has a long history of supporting the arts, and in particular, showcasing musicians. Their Unstaged concert series pairs musicians and directors to produce films that are live-streamed on YouTube and the artists’ official VEVO channels.

In 2010, the series kicked off with a partnership between band Arcade Fire and director Terry Gilliam. Since then, pairings have included John Legend and Spike Lee, Duran Duran and David Lynch, The Killers and Werner Herzog, as well as Pharrell and Spike Lee, in 2014.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-banks/american-express-partners-with-pharrell-williams-to-bring-arts-education-to-students-nationwide-537.html/feed0Even Aims To Improve Americans’ Financial Healthhttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/no-limited-credit-cards/even-aims-to-improve-americans-financial-health-533.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/no-limited-credit-cards/even-aims-to-improve-americans-financial-health-533.html#commentsThu, 09 Aug 2018 05:16:08 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=533People who struggle to stay afloat financially can benefit from the services offered by a new venture called Even, which is expanding its offerings thanks to a new round of $40 million in funding.

Even is a financial services company that integrates with payroll and banking systems to better understand their clients’ financial health. It offers budgeting tips, automatic money-saving systems, and something called Instapay, which offers on-demand access to wages.

Jon Schlossberg, Even’s CEO, says Americans spend $240 billion a year on “unneeded costs” such as overdraft fees and high interest rates on short-term loans. “By contrast, Even’s business model is set up so we only profit when our customers do.” The company charges a flat monthly subscription fee that can be canceled at any time if customers decide they don’t need the service.

Profiting only when customers profit

“In exchange [for the subscription fee], our members get a new set of financial services, built from the ground up to fit into busy people’s lives, so they actually use them—to spend smarter, avoid debt, and save money. If people see value in those services and keep using them, we profit; if they don’t, we don’t,” says Schlossberg.

Even members aren’t charged interest, and there are no hidden fees or transaction costs. The company is set up so that the more financially successful their customers are, the more money they make.

Last January, Even launched a partnership with Walmart to offer their financial wellness tools to employees nationwide. In the last six months, more than 15 percent of Walmart’s 1.4 million employees have started using Even to track their spending and stick to a budget.

Based on their success with Walmart, Even is eager to expand their services. Financial wellness, including having a healthy credit score, spending within means, and following a budget, is vital for things like getting approved for a credit card.

Folks with limited credit or no credit history at all can benefit from the tools offered by Even, or simply by becoming better informed about finances and how budgets and credit cards work.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/no-limited-credit-cards/even-aims-to-improve-americans-financial-health-533.html/feed0Experts Offer Tips To Keep Credit Cards Secure During Peak Vacation Seasonhttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/secured-credit-cards/experts-offer-tips-to-keep-credit-cards-secure-during-peak-vacation-season-529.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/secured-credit-cards/experts-offer-tips-to-keep-credit-cards-secure-during-peak-vacation-season-529.html#commentsWed, 18 Jul 2018 12:46:53 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=529When people are on vacation, they’re thinking about remembering their passports and phone chargers, getting to the airport on time, and where they’ll go out to dinner when they arrive. They don’t want to think about possible crime. But they leave themselves vulnerable to fraud and identity theft if they fail to take certain basic precautions, experts warn.

A Norton by Symantec survey showed that 73 percent of Americans don’t use a private network to protect their internet connection, and 92 percent risk exposing their personal information by using public Wi-Fi connections. Kevin Haley, the company’s director of security response, said travelers need to be “extra vigilant” about security during peak vacation season.

“In this connected world, it’s not enough to just lock up the house. It’s important to carefully protect everything from your identity and privacy to your data and devices while on vacation.”

Haley offers the following tips for travelers:

• Beware of scams. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Use official websites to book reservations, whether for it’s for your hotel, airline, or car rental. Be sure you are on the company’s verified website and not an aggregator or mirror site. Call the company to verify if you’re not sure.

• Don’t advertise your whereabouts. Update your privacy settings on social media so the whole world can’t see you posting vacation pictures that show you’re away from home. Don’t share specific dates and locations, and don’t post photos of itineraries or flight tickets. Avoid location-tagging photos, and consider waiting to post until you are safely at home.

• Avoid public Wi-Fi. Use private connections to surf the web, and be careful about entering PINs, account numbers, credit card information, and other sensitive data on a strange computer or network.

• Use a credit card, not a debit card. If someone gets ahold of your credit card and uses it to make fraudulent charges, you won’t be held responsible. But if someone gets your debit card, they can wipe out your entire bank balance, and it will take time to complete an investigation and the funds back. Also keep in mind that if you have a secured credit card, this does not mean it has any extra security; a secured credit card is one in which you’ve put down a deposit to act as collateral, which protects the financial institution in case of default.

If you follow these guidelines, you’re more likely to have a safe—and enjoyable—vacation.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/secured-credit-cards/experts-offer-tips-to-keep-credit-cards-secure-during-peak-vacation-season-529.html/feed0New No-Fee American Express Card Offers Cash Back On Every Purchasehttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-fees/new-no-fee-american-express-card-offers-cash-back-on-every-purchase-524.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-fees/new-no-fee-american-express-card-offers-cash-back-on-every-purchase-524.html#commentsSat, 30 Jun 2018 05:42:07 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=524A new credit card from American Express offers 1.5 percent cash back on every purchase and has no annual fee.

The American Express Cash Magnet card has a number of features that are designed to give consumers maximum choice and control over the way they make purchases. The “Pay It Plan It” tool lets cardholders split large purchases into installments that they pay over time, with a fixed fee-per-month and no interest charges.

Using the Amex Mobile App, cardholders can also pay off smaller chunks of their balance as soon as they come up on their bill, thus lowering the statement total at the end of the billing cycle.

Often, no-fee credit cards don’t give the same high-value rewards that cards with annual fees do. However, the Cash Magnet card gives more than the standard 1 percent cash back on all purchases that many cards with modest or no fees offer.

Plus, the card is kicking off by offering $300 cash back to new customers. After spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership, cardholders will get $150 cash back. If they spend an additional $6,500 on purchases in the first year of having the card, they’ll earn another $150 cash back. Cash back is given in the form of a statement credit.

Free shipping and other benefits

Other benefits include a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which gives customers free two-day shipping from stores such as Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Ann Taylor and Brooks Brothers. The membership is valued at $79 a year. Cardholders will also have access to Amex Offers, which gives them rewards for shopping, travel and dining.

Kartik Mani, executive vice president of global consumer lending at American Express, said the Cash Magnet card “offers compelling, unlimited cash back on purchases, with the exceptional experience and backing of American Express.”

The Cash Magnet card also offers roadside assistance benefits, return protection—which will refund cardholders for eligible purchases—and zero liability for fraudulent use of the card. It also gives customers a 0% interest rate on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.

]]>http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-fees/new-no-fee-american-express-card-offers-cash-back-on-every-purchase-524.html/feed0One-Third Of Vacationers Don’t Have A Rewards Credit Card, Discover Survey Findshttp://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-rewards/one-third-of-vacationers-dont-have-a-rewards-credit-card-discover-survey-finds-522.html
http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/credit-card-rewards/one-third-of-vacationers-dont-have-a-rewards-credit-card-discover-survey-finds-522.html#commentsThu, 07 Jun 2018 10:00:17 +0000http://www.acclaimvisa.com/news/?p=522If you’re planning a vacation in the near future, there are a few things you’re probably thinking about: where to go, how to get there, where to stay while you’re there, and what kind of activities you’ll do. But there’s one thing many people are forgetting to plan for, and it could be costing them. What is this forgotten to-do list item?

Using a rewards credit card to pay for the trip and earn free miles, points, and upgrades that can make the vacation even more fun.

A recent survey by Discover card found that 30 percent of people planning a trip don’t have a rewards credit card at all. And even of those who do, 26 percent don’t redeem their rewards for vacation-related expenses. This means they are missing out on chances to stay at a hotel for free or at a reduced cost, get a free airline ticket, upgrade their hotel reservation, or enjoy luxury VIP perks on the road.

Breaking it down by generations

When they looked at different demographics, the folks at Discover found that this problem persists across all age groups. Although Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation – the oldest groups surveyed – preferred to use a credit card to pay for things on vacation, they weren’t any better about redeeming rewards than younger people, who more often use cash to cover expenses. Sixty percent of Baby Boomers and 68 percent of the Silent Generation favor using credit cards on vacation, while 35 percent of Generation Z says they use cash when they have the choice.

Overall, 46 percent of vacationers prefer to use a credit card, 25 percent reach for their debit card, 24 percent prefer cash, and 3 percent use a check or a traveler’s check.

Emina Dautovic, senior marketing manager at Discover, said consumers shouldn’t underestimate the usefulness of a rewards credit card. “This survey shows that there is no one-size-fits-all vacation regardless of your age or preference for travel. Wherever your travel takes you, there’s an opportunity to earn rewards on travel-related and everyday purchases by using a travel credit card.”

She emphasized that credit card rewards can be used on airfare, hotels, gas, and groceries. “The rewards you earn can be put toward the cost of your next vacation.”